 |
 In
December 1979, Southern Cal running back Charles White won the
Heisman trophy...and a few months later Kevin Scanlon won the
“Lowsman” trophy when he was the final player selected in the 1980
NFL draft. Actually, Kevin was the next to last player picked (at
#332), but the final selection – Tyrone McGriff – opted to play in
the Canadian Football League and the honor fell to Kevin, which
meant that he got to spend a week in southern California getting
wined and dined and receiving some tongue-in-cheek recognition.
Kevin never played a down in the NFL but later, as a senior vice
president for a Little Rock investment firm, could look back on an
amazing football career that made him one of the most successful
quarterbacks to emerge from Beaver County. Kevin played two seasons
under Beaver Falls Tigers coach
Larry Bruno,
after freshman and sophomore seasons at Quigley Catholic High
School. In high school, Kevin was named first team All Conference
three times, All WPIAL and All State twice, and High School All
American as a senior in 1974. He finished his scholastic career as
Beaver County’s all time leader in passing yards (3515) and
touchdown passes (33) and was the first Beaver County sophomore to
pass for more than 1000 yards in a season and the first sophomore to
lead the county in touchdown passes (13). Kevin completed 62 percent
of his high school passes (67 percent as a senior). On a football
scholarship to North Carolina State University, Kevin lettered in
1976 but then followed Wolfpack coach Lou Holtz to Arkansas, where
Kevin started as Razorbacks quarterback his senior season and earned
Southwest Conference MVP honors by leading Arkansas to a 10-2
record, a No 6 ranking, and a Sugar Bowl berth against the eventual
national champion Alabama. Kevin set the Arkansas single season pass
accuracy record as a senior (66.2 percent), was named the Razorbacks
MVP, and played in the Japan Bowl All Star Game. At the Razorbacks
postseason banquet, Lou Holtz referred to Kevin as “the best
quarterback I ever coached.” After he was drafted by the Los Angeles
Rams in 1980, Kevin spent time on the Rams roster and the Hamilton
Tigercats of the Canadian Football League, but decided to retire
from football. One of his first jobs was as a travel aide to then
Arkansas governor Bill Clinton. |
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